Internal-combustion engine.



No. 702,430. Patqnted lune l7, I902.

. J.,F. HOBART.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. [Application med Mar. 30, 1901. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Shut I.

No. 702,430. Patented lune I7, I902.

J. F. HOBART.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

(Application filed. Mar. 30. 1901.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Z ng, J 1 2 9 6 4 5 1 I l 1 l IIII 5 I Z a Z 'I' W 1/1,: A I 4 5/1; U 1e z v 7 4 3 1 w No. 702,430. Patented lune I7, 1902.

.1. r. HOBART.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE (Application filed Mar. 30, 1901.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WITN'E'SSE INVENTOR No. 702,430. Patented lune l7, I902.

J. F. HOBART.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

(Application filed. Mar. 30, 1901.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 4,

(No Model.)

WITNESSES INVENTOR y-MW Am Patented lune I7, I902.

5 Sheets-Shani 5.

hum

J. F. HOBART.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

(Application filed mar. 30, 1901.

(No Model.)

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v U IT D STATES ATENT OF E.

JAMES F. HOBART, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CLARENCE F. WYCKOFF, OF ITHAOA, NEW YORK, AND JAMES R. CHISHOLM, OF BOR- OUGH OF MANHATTAN, NEWV YORK, N. Y.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 702,430, dated June 1'7, 1902.

Application filed March 30, 1901. Serial No. 53,607. (No model.)

To all) whom it may concern: the doubleengine. Fig. 8 is a detail View of Beitknown that 1, JAMES F. HOBART, acitione of the controlling-valves. Fig. 9 is adezen oftheUnited States, residingatBrooklyn, tail sectional view showing valves for con- Kings county, New York, have invented certrolling the passages between the aircomprestain new and useful Improvements in Intersion chambers and the reservoir, with means nal-Oombustion'Engines, of which the followfor controlling the said valves by hand. Fig. ing is a specification. 10 is a detail View of means for controlling The object of my invention is to provide a the compressed-air-su1 ply valves, such as hydrocarbon-engine particularly adapted to shown in Fig. 8. Figill is a side view of Fig.

IO lowspeedforautomobile-propellingpurposes. 10. Fig. 12is a perspective View of a float- My engine is double-acting, adapted to be ing cam and a combined inlet and exhaust reversed, and capable of being attached rigvalve controlled thereby. Figs. 13 and 14 are idly to the driving-axle of a vehicle, permitdetail views showing the manner of operatting the operator to start the loaded Vehicle ing the floating cam. Figs. 15, 16, and 17 are 15 without having first to give a manualimpulse detail views of the cylinder. to the driving-shaft of the motor. In the drawings the two cylinders of my One of the main features of my invention double engine are shown at a, these being of consists in employing two pistons within a substantially ordinary form, but having exsingle cylinder, one of said pistons acting on tensions b at their rear ends. A pair of pis- 20 the four-cycle principle and the other acting tons .c d are arranged in each cylinder, the on the two-cycleprinciple. These pistons are piston 0 having a tubular piston-rod c, congeared together, and two impulses are thus nected by a pitman fwith a'crank-pin g, carderived for each revolution of the drive-shaft. ried by a pair of disks It. One of the disks it My engine is of double form, consisting of carries thereon a pinion 70, arranged to mesh 25 two cylinders and two sets of the pistons just with internal teeth'l of a gear m, hereinafter mentioned, the combustions or explosions in referred to. The piston-rodn of the piston d one cylinder alternating with those in the extends through the hollowpiston-rodeof the other cylinder and the driving shafts or piston c, and its pitman 0 is connected with cranks of the two cylinders being geared toa pin 19, which connects the disk m with a 30 gether, so that four impulses are derived, ocdisk q, carried by the driving-shaft r, suitcurring at different times during one revoluably journaled in the crank-shaft casing 8. tion of the driving-shaft. I utilize one of the The pinion 7c and internal gear Z are proporpistons in each cylinder as a compressing and tioned two to one, so that the piston 0 moves scavenging piston; and myinvention consists twice as fast as the piston d. One or more 35 also in this andin other features and arrangeof the disks 7?. belonging to one cylinder are ments and combinations of parts hereinafter fitted with gearteeth, which mesh with simifully described, and pointed outin the claims. lar teeth on the disks belonging to theother In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isa cylinder and the cranks thereof. The disks, View in thenature of a diagram of my inven therefore, ofone cylinder move in a direction 40 tion. Fig.2 is a similar View of one of the OPPOSllJG-LO those of the other cylinder and cylinders, with its pistons and cranks, showthe crank-pins of the one cylinder are set in ing the parts in adifferent position from that advance of those of the other. cylinder of the shown in Fig.1. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar engine. These maybe set at any desired views in the nature of diagrams, showing the angle apart; but I prefer one hundred and i 45 parts in different positions. Fig. 5 is aplan seventy-five degrees. By this I obtain abview of my invention, with a part of the vesence of dead-point, and from an inspection hicle-frame by which it is supported. Fig. 6 of Fig. 6 it will be seen that while the crankis a longitudinal section through the cylinpin g, belonging to the left-hand cylinder, is ders. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the on the dead-center the crank-pin of the left- 50 geared connection between the two parts of hand cylinder is off the dead-center, which makes it impossible for a dead-point to exist with respect to the entire engine. The pistonrods, as before stated, are hollow, and openings t are formed in the outer piston rod 8, and small openings u are formed in the hollow inner piston-rod at, these two sets of openings being arranged to aline with each other in certain positions of the pistons c and d, as will be hereinafter described. The hollow piston-rod of the piston d extends rearwardly into the cylinder extension I) and is provided with openings Lb, adapted to communicate in the extreme inward position of the piston d with the chamber a; at the end of the cylinder at. Fresh-air-supply openings 10 are provided in the cylinders, leading to the forward chambers w of the cylinders, and exhaust-openings 3 lead from the rear chambers '0, said exhaust-openings being covered and uncovered by the piston d, and the fresh-airsupply openings to the forward chamber a", being similarly controlled by the piston c. The space 2 between the two pistons is controlled by an exhaust-valve 1, which also serves as an air-induction valve to this intermediate chamber. Fuel is supplied to the rear chamber o and to the intermediate chamber z by electric pumps 2 (shown generally in Fig. 5) and connected to the chambers o and z of each cylinder through the pipes 3 4. No inlet-valves are needed, there being an open pipe direct from the cylinder to the pump, the valve of which latter does the work. The chamber is utilized as a chamber for the compression of air by the piston o. This chamber connects with a passage 5, extending longitudinally of the cylinder through a port 6. The passage 5, at its extreme forward end, is connected through a passage 7in the supporting truss or bracket 8 with the interior of the tube or perch 9, forming part of the supporting structure of the vehicle. This hollow perch connects with an air-reservoir, (represented, forconvenience of illustration, diagrammatically at 10, Fig. 5.) Each of the cylinders is provided with the passage 5, and each passage is connected with the reservoir, so that the air compressed in the chamber w may pass into the reservoir to be stored therein, suitable check-val ves 11, to be hereinafter particularly described, being located between the passages and the compressionchambers 00 to retain the compressed air in the reservoir and in said passages. This compressed air is utilized for starting the engine, and for this purpose the passages 5 connect with the ports 12 and 13, leading, respectively, to the intermediate and rear chambers z and '0. These ports are controlled automatically when it is desired to start the machine by valves 14, controlling the passage of air between the passages 5 and the said chambers, the said valves being operated at proper times and in rotation from cams 15, carried within-a casing on a shaft 17, which is driven from the driving-shaft 1' through chainand-sprocket connections 18, 19, and 20. This mechanism and its action will be referred to more in detail hereinafter.

I will now describe the cycles of operation of the two pistons.

Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 are diagrams illustrating the action of the engine and the different positions relative to each other assumed .by the pistons and the parts connected therewith. In Fig. 1 I have shownthe engine of double form with two cylinders and a geared connection between them, while in Figs. 2, 3,and 4 I show but a single cylinder, as this is sufficient to illustrate the interaction of the pistons therein.

In Fig. 1 and referring to the upper of the two cylinders there shown we will assume that the parts are ready for the induction action in the space 2 between the two pistons. For this induction action the piston 0 moves from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2,'the space between the two pistons in Fig. 1 being about one inch and that between the pistons in Fig. 2 being about three inches. In this action the pistons are moving in the same direction; but as the piston 0 moves twice as fast as the piston d the space between them isincreased to the extent shown in Fig. 2. The charge has now been drawn in, the exhaust-induction valve 1 is closed, and the pistons move to the position shown in Fig. 3, the piston 0 moving more rapidly than the piston cl and reducing the space between them to about one inch for the compression of the intermediate charge. The ignition now takes place while the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3, and the pistons separate on the expansion-stroke to the position shown in Fig. 4, from which position they return to the position shown in Fig. 1, during which time the space 2 is being exhausted of the foul mixture. This exhaust action begins when the piston 0 reaches its forward limit, so as to uncover the ports in the cylinder, and continues during the return of this piston, the exhaust from between the pistons now taking place through the valve 1. The pistons having returned to the position shown in Fig. 1, the cycle is complete and the action is repeated. It will be noticed by observing the dotted line Z, connecting the pistons c of the several diagrams, that piston 0 makes two outward and two inward strokes for each combustion, and thus this piston operates upon the four-cycle principle. From an inspection of the line Z, indicating the course of the piston d, it will be seen that this piston makes only one complete reciprocation during this time, thus operating upon the two-cycle principle with respect TO the combustion in the chamber We will now follow out the act-ionsin chamber o and their relation to those taking place in the intermediate chamber .2.

In the chamber 1; the two-cycle action is secured, and for this purpose the exhaust of the expanded charge and the induction of fresh air takes place while the piston d is in the position shown in Fig. 2. plish this, the piston-rods e and n are provided with holes, and when the piston c is on its outward stroke to the left, as shown in Fig. 2, openings 25 in the hollow rod 6 will catch up with and aline with openings u in the hollow piston-rod n of the piston (Z, both pistons, it being understood, moving toward the left. This alining action takes place somewhat before the. piston c completes its leftward stroke and while about twenty pounds pressure of air has been attained in the chamber 00. This air will be forced through the alining holes and through the piston-rod n and will be discharged'into the chamber n through the openings at of the piston-rod,

which at this time have been withd rawn from the cylinder extension I) and are communicating with the chamber 1:. At this same time the piston cl has uncovered the exhaust-openings y and the expanded charge in the chamber Q) is forced out, and fresh air is thus let into this chamber. The fuel being fed to this chamber at any determined instant during the induction of air will vaporize by contact with the hot walls of the chamber and will mix with the fresh air. Compression now begins in chamber '0', as shown in Figs. 8 and 4, and is completed when the piston dreachesthe end of its outward stroke,

as shown in Fig. 4, when ignition takes place in chamber 4) and the piston cl is driven toward the left to the position shown in Fig. 1,

thus completing the two-cycle action with re-,

spect to the explosion in chamber c. From the above it will be seen that an explosion takes place on either one side or the other of thepiston d on each stroke, making two impulses on this piston for one complete revolution of the shaft 2'. One combustion takes place in the chamber a while piston d is in the position shown in Fig. 3and in chamber 1; when piston dis at the end of its outward stroke resulting from this explosion in the chamber 2, as indicated in Fig. 4. On the stroke of the piston 0 toward the left, as indicated in Fig. 4, the openings in the pistonroddo not come into alinement, and consequently the air is compressed in the chamber 00 during this entire stroke of the piston, and this is sufficient to compress the air to about sixty pounds, with which the reservoir is stored. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the gears connected with the cranks of the upper cylinder move in a direction opposite to that of the cranks of the lower cylinder. By reason of this relative action the pistons d and c of the upper cylinder of the pair shown in Fig. 1 are both moving toward the left, but at different speeds for the induction-stroke, which is completed when they reach the position shown in Fig. 2. In the lower cylinder, however, of the pair shown in Fig. 1 the cranks are in such a position that the pistons are ready to move apart from each other in opposite directions, andat this time the combustion takes place in this cyl In order to accom that there is a symmetrical distribution of the fourfpower impulses, the two impulses in one cylinder alternating withthose in the other cylinder. start under load at any point at which it may come to rest. I employ cylinders of small diameter compared with their length, and by this a considerable expansion is obtained with a comparatively small quantity of gas to exhaust, thereby reducing the noise ofexhaust and expanding the heated gases down very closeto atmospheric pressure.

Referring now more specifically to the action which takes place in chamber 2, the piston 0 acts as a scavenger for this chamber. The exhaust for the expended charge and induction-port for the fresh air is controlled by the puppetvalve 1, one of these valves being fitted to each cylinder. During compression, expansion, and explosion in chamher a said valve remains closed; but during exhaust and induction of air from and to the chamber z this valve remains open. The valve is controlled to open positively bya cam 43, loosely arranged upon the shaft r.

The cam has a bearing. in the crank-casing at 44. The cam has an overhanging shoulder 45 extending across it, to be engaged by the pin 46, carried by the gear q, and through this connection the cam is rotated and thus controls the opening of the exhaust-valve on the exhaust-stroke of the piston c, so that said piston will force out the exhausted mixture. The connectionis such that the pin 46 will engage the shoulder 45 whenthe gear q rotates in either direction, according to which direction the engine is running. When the engine is reversed, the cam remains idle for one-half revolution of the engine and then the pin 46 will engage the shoulderat the opposite side of the cam, thereby operating the valve lin proper time for the reverse action of the engine. The connection between the valve 1 and the floating cam .43 consists of a rod having a screw-joint therein at 47. The upper part of the rod is provided with teeth 48, meshing with a rack 49, suitably carried on the machine and adapted to be operated. manually. The induction exhaust-valve may remain either open or closed The engine therefore will during nearly one-half a revolution of, the

engine-shaft during theactionof reversing. To enable this valve to be opened or closed when it stands either closed or opened, the rack 49 is operated to turn the spindle, and thus expand or contract the screwjoint. The

automatic actionof the pin 46 and floating cam is illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14, which indicates that the cam may be rotated in either one direction or the other by the pin. As before stated, the hollow perch may be utilized as a compressed-air conduit, and the perch 50 may be used as a reservoir or conduit for the oil.

As before stated, the chamber a: and piston c are used as means for compressing the air, the supply for which enters through the openings w. The check-valves controlling the passages between the chambers and the passages are shown in Fig. 9 at 11. These check-valves are controlled by a rod 22, extending transversely from one passage 5 to the other, said rod having a hooked end 23,

' engaging a stem of one of the valves 11, and

having a socket 24 at its other end to receive loosely the stem of the other valve. Both valves are adapted to have movement independent of the rod 22, for which purpose the hooked connection is a loose one, as is also the socket connection. The valves are arranged to close toward the air-compressing chambers 03, the ports leading to which are indicated at 25 in Fig. 9, and these valves are intended to retain the air-pressure in the passages 5 and in the reservoir, which freely communicates therewith. Thesevalves may be controlled manually by the operation of the rod 22, for which purpose a handlever 26 is provided, pivoted to a suitable portion of the framework and having an eye 27, through which the rod 22 passes, with a spring 28 interposed between the lever and a collar 29 fitted adjustably to the rod 22.

The lever is provided with a detent 30, controlled by the finger-lever 31, so that it may be withdrawn from the fixed rack 32 in order to shift the lever to the position desired. By moving this lever the rod 22 may be operated so that the check-valves 11 will be held rigidly on their seats, thus closing the passages between the air-compressing chambers and the air-reservoir. This arrangement is of particular value when it is necessary to operate the engine without having a supply of compressed airjn the reservoir. Under such conditions, as the check-valves would not be held closed by pressure from the reservoir, it would be impossible to send a charge of air through the hollow piston-rods to the two cycle ends of the cylinders to purge the same and supply the necessary fresh air for the next mixture; but with the lever 26 valves 11 will be held closed and compressed air sent to the chambers 22 directly instead of at this time passing to the reservoir. The pressure upon the lever 26 may be lessened or entirely released as the compressed-air pressure rises or reaches its maximum. The admission of compressed air from the reservoir to the several chambers '12 and z for starting is, as before stated, controlled by the valves located at 12 and 13. These valves are shown in detail in Fig. 8, in which the valve 14 is arranged to close upon its seat toward the cylinder, the passage leading to which is indicated at On the cylinder side of this valve a check-valve 34 is arranged, having its stem loosely held in the stem of the valve 14. The purpose of this check-valve is to protect the valve 14 from the energy of an explosion, it forming a complete cut-off or protection for the valve 14. The stem of valve 14 extends out through the valve-case 35 and at its outer end is connected to the arm 36 of a spring 37, attached to the cylinder and connected to a rod 38, which extends to the controller 16, which I have shown generally in Fig. 5. This controller comprises the casing, with the shaft 17 journaled therein, carrying the cams 15, which operate levers 39, engaging the rods 38, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the arrangement being such that the cams through the levers 39 will operate the rods 38 in any desired order, and thus open the valve'sin rotation to discharge compressed air into the chambers of the engine to start the same. The valve 14 is held to its seat normally by the spring 37 and also by the compressed-air pressure when this is present in the passage 5.

As before stated, electromagnetic pumps for the fuel-supply are employed, (shown at 2.) These are controlled through circuit connections 40 from contact-rings 41, rotated by the shaft 17, before described. Electromagnetic-operated make-and-break apparatus for causing the ignition-spark in each combustion-chamber is also employed, (shown gen erally at 42, Fig. 5,) these being controlled through circuit connections 43, leading to the contact-rin gs 41, before described. These parts, together with the electromagnetic pumps and the controlling mechanism 16, form no part of my present invention and need not be further described herein.

Referring,further, to the compressedair action, the ratio of clearance in the chamber or is such that a pressure of about sixty pounds per square inch above atmospheric pressure will be maintained in the reservoir when the engine is running normally. Each alternate stroke of the pistons delivers a portion of compressed air to the reservoir if at anytime the pressure therein has fallen below sixty pounds per square inch. When this pressure has been attained in said reservoir, the air compressed by piston 0 will simply expand again upon the return-stroke of the piston, the compressing action thereby serving as a cushion for the explosion, which takes place on the opposite side of the piston in chamber e. As before stated, this compressing action, whereby about sixty-pounds pressure is attained, takes place at each alternate stroke of the piston. There is also a compressing action which takes place at the strokes intermediate of the alternate strokes, and this latter compression, which occurs at each revolution of the crank, compresses the air to abouttwentypounds per square inch,and this, as before described, is discharged into the two-cycle chamber 12 to clear the same of expandedchargeandsupplythefreshair. This latter pressure of about twenty pounds per square inch is attained at about the time the openings in the hollow piston-rods e and n aline with each other, as before described.

1 claim as my invention 1. An internal-combustion engine, comprising two pistons, connections between the said pistons wherebyone moves faster than the other, a combustion-chamber for one piston acting thercwithupon the four-cycle principle anda second combustion-chamber for the other piston acting therewith upon the twocycle principle, substantially as described.

2. An internal-combustion engine comprising a cylinder, two pistons therein and two combustion-chambers, one piston and combustion-chamber having a two-cycle action and the other piston and its combustion-chamher having a four-cycle action, substantially as described.

3. An internal-combustion engine comprising a cylinder, two pistons therein and two combustion-chambers, one piston and combustion-chamber having a two-cycle action and the other piston and its combustion-chamber having a four-cycle action, one of the combustion-chambers being common to both pistons, substantially as described.

4. An internal-combustion engine comprising a cylinder, two pistons and two combustion-chambers therein, one of said pistons having a two-cycle action and with a combustionchamber on each side of the same, whereby said piston receives an impulse in each direction and the other piston having a four-cycle action and receiving an impulse in one direction, substantially as described.

5. An internal-combustion engine comprisinga cylinder, two pistons therein, a combustion-chamber between the pistons, a second combustion-chamber for one of the pistons, the latter piston acting on the two-cycle principle and receiving an impulse in each dlIGC-r tion and the other piston acting on the fourcycle principle and receiving its impulses from the intermediate combustion-chamber, substantially as described.

6. In combination inan internal-combustion engine, a cylinder, two pistons and two combustion-chambers therein, one piston with its combustion-chamber having a two-cycle action and the other with its combustionchamber having a four-cycle action, the piston-rod of one piston extendingthrough that of the other and the two to one gearing between the piston-rods,substantially as described.

In combination inan internal-combus tion engine, a single cylinder, two independent power-pistons and two combustion-chambersin the cylinder, and an air-compression chamber in said cylinder, substantially as described.

8. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, two pistons with their combustion-chambers, an air-compression chamber and a connection between the combustionchamber of one piston and the ai r-compression chamber whereby the said combustion-chamber will receive compressed air therefrom, substantially as described.

9. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, a two'cycle piston with its combustion-chamber, a four-cycle piston with its combustion-chamber and an air-compression chamber in which air is compressed by one of the pistons, substantially as described.

10. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, a cylinder, two pistons therein, a combustion-chamber intermediate the pistons, a combustion-chamber at one end of the cylinder and an air-compressing chamber at the other end 'of the cylinder, substantially as described.

11. In combination in an internal-combusa tion engine, the two pistons moving at differpiston, an air-compression chamber, a connection between the air-compression chamber and one of the combustion-chambers leading through said piston, and a connection leading from the air-compression chamber to a point outside the engine substantially as described.

12. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, a cylinder, a piston, a combustion-chamber, an air-compressor chamber in the cylinder, a storage-reservoir, and means whereby the compressed air is controlled to pass to the storage-reservoir at times directly from the air-compressor chamber and at other times to the combustion-chamber, substantially as described.

13. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, two pistons, two combustion chambers, an air-reservoir, a compressed-air chamber and means whereby the compressed air is at times sent to the air-reservoir or again expanded in the compressed-airchamher and at other times to one of the combustion-chambers, substantially as described.

14:. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, a cylinder, a piston and a combustion-chamber therein having a two-cycle action, a second piston and a combustionchamber therein having a four-cycle action, an air-reservoir, an air-compression chamber in the cylinder and means whereby the compressed air is caused to pass alternately to the air-reservoir or to expand again in the compression-chamber and to one of the combustion-chambers,substantially as described.

15. In combination in an internal-combustion engine, a cylinder, a piston and a combustion-chamber therein having a two-cycle 'action, a second piston and a combustionchamber therein having a four-cycle action, the hollow piston-rods having openings to aline at certain times, an air-compression chamber to communicate with the hollow piston-rod through the said openings, said hollow piston-rod communicating with one of the side and having alternately on its other side an air-compressing action and an air-transferring action, said transfer of air taking place to the combustion-chamber of the other piston, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. HOBART.

Witnesses:

F. L. MIDDLETON, HENRY E. COOPER. 

